The seven years of famine brought suffering to many countries. In E'gypt, the wise plan of Jo'seph had kept the people from starvation, but other lands were not so fortunate. They had not received the warnings given to Pha'roah in his dreams and explained by Jo'seph, so none of them had prepared for the famine. When their supply of food gave out, as it did in a very short time, they were forced to go to E'gypt and purchase grain from the huge storehouses which Jo'seph had built.
The land of Ca'naan was two hundred miles from E'gypt, and between the two countries there were vast deserts and wilderness, making travel very difficult. In some way, however, Ja'cob and his family learned that there was plenty of food in E'gypt, and that Pha'roah was willing to sell some of it to people of other nations.
More than twenty years had passed since the brothers of Jo'seph had sold him to the Ish'ma-el-ite slave-dealers, and they had no idea what had become of him. Ja'cob, of course, had lived through all these years thinking that Jo'seph was dead, for the elder brothers had never told him the true story. No news had come to them of Jo'seph's early hardships and suffering in E'gypt, nor of the great honors he had later been given by Pha'roah; as far as they knew, he might well be dead.
One might think that Jo'seph would have sent a message to let his father know that all was well with him, or would have tried to find out how things were going with his family back in Ca'naan. Jo'seph thought it best, however, to say nothing. For one thing, he did not wish his father to know how cruelly he had been treated by the elder brothers; for another, he had perfect faith that the LORD would permit no harm to come to his father's household.
No doubt Jo'seph often thought of his father and brothers, but never with hatred toward those who had wronged him. For nearly a quarter of a century the memory of his early dreams lingered in his mind, and he still believed that they would come true. Instead of talking about them, or complaining because they were not as yet fulfilled, he kept them secret in his heart, patiently waiting for the LORD to bless him when the time had come.
When famine swept over the land of Ca'naan, bringing hunger and starvation to the people, Ja'cob and his family were soon in great danger. All of Ja'cob's wealth was in gold, silver, and live-stock; without food for his household and grain for his cattle, the money would not do any good. He therefore sent his ten sons down into E'gypt to buy corn, so that both the people and animals might have food.
It was a great blow to the sons of Ja'cob to be sent to E'gypt, where they knew that Jo'seph had been carried to be sold as a slave. Every step of the two hundred mile journey must have been filled with memories of the great wrong which they had done, but they must either go to E'gypt or starve. Of course, they did not know what had happened to Jo'seph there, but a guilty conscience made them dread even the thought of meeting him.
